- Potter has been locked in talks with owner David Sullivan for over 48 hours
- Lopetegui was handed his marching orders earlier on Wednesday afternoon
- LISTEN to It’s All Kicking Off! Jack Grealish won’t be allowed to drift at Man City… he’ll be sold this summer if things don’t change
Graham Potter has agreed to become new West Ham head coach following the club’s decision to sack Julen Lopetegui.
Former Chelsea boss Potter will sign a deal up of two and half years to return to football following his departure from Stamford Bridge in April 2023.
Lopetegui, who still reported to the club’s Rush Green HQ on Wednesday before he was formally told of his firing, will net just over £3million from West Ham owing to a compensation agreement in his contract.
There is hope West Ham can announce Potter as their new boss on Thursday morning.
Mail Sport revealed earlier this week that Potter had held talks with West Ham owner David Sullivan on Monday, with the discussions understood to have taken place at the businessman’s personal residence.
Those talks dragged into Wednesday morning owing to detailed talks over the length of Potter’s contract.
Graham Potter has agreed a two-and-a-half-year deal to join West Ham as their head coach
The club sacked Julen Lopetegui after a tumultuous start to the season earlier on Wednesday
Owner David Sullivan has been locked in talks with Potter in a bid to secure his signature
West Ham initially wanted the former Brighton boss to replace Lopetegui until the end of the season, while Potter wanted a longer commitment.
And it is understood all parties have found a middle ground on what, according to sources, is a deal that will be confirmed as expiring in 2027.
There has been no confirmation over whether there is a break clause in the contract
Sources claim that the delay created by agreeing the length of contract was, in part, due to interest in Potter from Everton.
With that in mind, West Ham put in place contingency plans in the event of an agreement not being reached with Potter.
Christophe Galtier and Paulo Fonseca were both on stand-by to replace Lopetegui if Potter declined West Ham’s offer.
But a deal is now in place for Potter to become West Ham head coach, although it remains to be seen whether he takes charge of Friday’s FA Cup third round tie versus Aston Villa.
In confirming Lopetegui’s sacking, a statement read: ‘The first half of the 2024-25 season has not aligned with the Club’s ambitions and the Club has therefore taken action in line with its objectives.
Lopetegui has overseen a woeful run of form with the last match of his tenure seeing the Hammers lose 4-1 to Manchester City, six days after his side lost 5-0 against Liverpool
Potter was last in a top-flight dugout nearly two years ago during an ill-fated Chelsea spell
‘The Club can confirm that Assistant Head Coach Pablo Sanz, Head of Performance Oscar Caro, Head Analyst Juan Vicente Peinado, Fitness Coach Borja De Alba and Technical Coach Edu Rubio have also left with immediate effect.
‘The Board would like to thank Julen and his staff for their hard work during their time with the Hammers and wish them every success for the future. The process of appointing a replacement is underway.’
